League Match Round 2

So after a awful start to the League at Summerhayes, where I weighed in with 4lb 1oz, we found ourselves at Lands End Fishery at Wedmore in Somerset. We fished the Specimen Lake and I was 5th to arrive after 1 or 2 wrong turns!

Lands End Fishery

So the draw was a little behind as we were awaiting on a few instructions from the owner. After these few rules were discussed we made the draw. I drew peg 26 which I thought was an end peg but it turns out that 25 was. The good thing was I had the point of the island where as John, who drew 25, only had open water and two edge lines.

Peg 26

So after arriving at my peg and helping out my colleague Glen, who forgot the handles to his shuttle so I let him use mine to transport his gear, I set up 3 pole lines. 1 down to my right in the edge with a Matrix Series 2 .30gr to 0.14 Power Micron and a 16 Matrix Carp Bagger hook tied to 0.12 Power Micron. Considering the size of fish I still wanted to fish lite as I would be in for a hard day. I set up a Matrix Series 7 0,30gr to fish down the track to 0.12 mainline and 0.10 hooklength. This was to a 20 Carp Rigger with a banded hair rig. My third line was the same float but to 0.14 line a 0.12 hooklength and a size 18 Carp Rigger, again with a banded hair, to fish across as close to the island as I could. I couldn't reach the island so as a back up I set up my 9' carpmaster rod with an Ultron 300 reel loaded with 0.23 Submerge Feeder Mono with a Evolution Pellet feeder. To that I attached a 18 Carp Bander hook fitted with a Bait Aligna to 0.14 line.

Float Choices On The Day

On the all in I started down the track feeding micro pellets and fishing a 6mm hard pellet on the hook. I soon found some nice F1's and had 2 rather Quickly. I was feeding small amounts of micro via toss pot and was soon the peg was fizzing. I then hooked a skimbob to around 1lb. This line then went quiet after and hour so I went out to 16m and pinged 6mm pellet. Unfortunately nothing came on this line so I put it down and went down the track. I picked up another F1 and then again things went quiet.

I then started feeding my edge line in preparation for the last 2 hours. I fed a mix of hemp and meat, I wanted to bulk out the meat but not fill the fish and hemp is a great holding bait, and kept topping up every 25-30 minutes with a small handful.

My Edge Line To My Right

Unfortunately people fishing at my end of the lake just couldn't find fish. I returned to the track and had nothing for 20 minutes. I picked up the Carpmaster and flicked the pellet feeder to the island and after a couple of minutes Fish on! Another F1 but its weight. I had 3 in quick succession but then that died.

Just under 2 and a half hours to go I topped up my edge line and went in hoping for some lumps! After 5 minutes the float went under and bright orange elastic, Matrix hollow 10, soon stretched out. After a few minutes I had a fin perfect carp to 10lbs in the net.I potted in a handful of hemp and went back in and straight away the float buried but lifted into nothing only to see two swirls where I'd spooked the fish, I was kicking myself! 

I went back on to the pellet feeder and managed to sneak 2 more F1's. I thought I'd have around 10lb of silvers and F1's now so better than the first round. I went back to my edge line and soon hooked into another brute! It tore off down the swim with elastic pouring out. I kept my pole low and was patient and I got the fish under control and shipped back to my puller kit. Stripping away elastic the fish had other idea's once it's head popped up and saw the net coming for it and flew back down the swim. I thought my power was going to snap at one point but I managed to get it back and wrestled with for 5 more minutes before it's head popped up and I folded it into my landing net.

Nothing happened after that and soon after the all out was called. I went over to Glen to see what he weighed in with, hoping I had more to even the scores between us to 1-1, and he weigh 35lb 3oz. The scales came to me and I weighed 16lb 12oz of Silvers and my two lumps went 20lb 12oz! My total weight 37lb 8oz's just beating Glen by a couple of pounds.

Ian won the match with 106lb exactly off the flyer! TYPICAL!

Not my best performance but I simply fished for bites as I was told the fish are always down the opposite side of the to me.When we return I hope I drawn down there!

All in all Lands End Fishery was great. Clean tidy toilets and a shop for bait plus net dips!.Couldn't grumble at the place and look forward to going back.

Next up: League Match Round 3: Todber Manor Park Lake April 26th

Final Standings